Published
I’m from the generations that were born without cell phones, without internet, and with dirt. When I got my first computer as a kid, the whole process of interacting with hardware and software was very different; a lot of doors opened, and that piece of technology also shaped my education.
30 years later, now in the information age, I think the change has been massive. For worse and for better.
As a designer, the crucial thing was always, at least during my first years in this career, finding what’s best for the user, whether that was a client, a reader, or a passerby. The work was mostly about improving existing elements: artwork, photography, vectors and handwritten code. Searching for references was hugely important. Revisions and speed were completely different from what we see today.
When the wave of ChatGPT and AI in general started, I felt a little terrified by what it could become. The first time I opened an LLM and tried it, I thought “This still needs a couple of years.” Well, a couple of years went by and the change has been brutal.
From thinking to prompting
I think this is the part that weighs the most. Before, a social media grid or a copy matrix could take a few days, even weeks. Today, you build a skill and with one prompt you have everything published and with prior approval. But the content underneath is empty, it has no substance. Creativity is a muscle, and if we don’t use it, it atrophies.
Personally, I use AI tools, but I always try to start from the curated groundwork of a colleague who’s an expert in the field; I try not to put what an LLM tells me ahead of what a copywriter with years of experience tells me.
What’s left for the designer?
I think that as designers of any specialty, we have a huge opportunity. From my perspective, we’ve always been treated as the ones who dress weird and make “little videos” or little screens. But I think this leap in artificial intelligence, if used well, can become an excellent ally for any designer looking for a more holistic role, more connected to the business and the operation behind it. You can understand SEO, backend, the KPIs that matter to your business, find flaws, automate, etc. It’s a sword that cuts both ways, but if you know how to use it, your skill set expands dramatically.
I’m not saying this will replace the need to learn the logic of programming or the fundamentals of photography. NO. In fact, if you’re a designer who is just starting out and specializing in anything, I recommend, I demand, that you study the basics of design and programming. There’s a very thin line between using AI while understanding what you’re doing, and seeing it as the holy grail.
What about aesthetics?
As designers we have a responsibility to keep creating. Today you can smell a product or a graphic made with AI, or “AI slop”, from miles away. The difference lies in the judgment of whoever uses it. The designs GPT puts out are practically standardized; they all follow the same thread.
I think something we shouldn’t abandon is the pursuit of creativity. As Flea says with the Honora Band in his Tiny Desk:
“Make something beautiful
I don’t care if it’s a little scrap of squiggly crayon on a paper
Make something beautiful and see somebody
Give it to somebody”
To close, I think that as designers we need to move forward consciously in this new paradigm. Not rest on our laurels, but not forget the original source of our work either: the ability to create with our own hands and minds.